A Princess in name, a Queen in heart

“Come down here!”

“Why don’t you come up here, you’ve got wings.”

“Gerrrr! You just get your fluffy flank back down here so I can pummel you!”

“Or what? You still have to say it, we all know it.”

Glaring up at the pompous alicorn, Spade looks back to his friends for support. They just sit there with wide grins.

“Come on Spade, we all saw it, now you just got to admit it.”

“Yep, and she didn’t cheat ether.”

“Just say it lovebug.”

Spade looked back at the alicorn hovering just out of reach, blue compound eyes glaring. After a long moment he sighed and gave up.

“Flurry McFluffle Flank is a better digger then I am. THere happy?”

“Oh you couldn’t resist adding that first part could you?” Flurry said as she landed in front of her friend.

“Like you wouldn’t?”

“True enough. I still won though.”

Laughter came all around. Flurry Heart looked at Spade then her other friends, two changeling Shade and Quick and an earth pony Rocky Thunder. The five of them had been close friends for as long as any of them could remember, and were as close as could be with out being joined at the hip.

“Ya, ya. I still don't get why you like digging so much, every pegasus here heats it when they get dirt in their wings.”

“Well every pegasus here doesn't have magic to then their wings, beside I like it, it's changeling.”

“You're weird.” Rocky said with an eye roll.

“Yep, she even let Shade here talk her into taking some infiltrator classes.”

“You're in the same class Quick, and I remember how excited you were.”

“Ohhh I think someling has a crush on our resident alicorn.” Teased Spade, poking Quick in his barrel.

“I-wel-um…”

“Alright you lot,” interrupted a voice. “Classes are about to start, you all need to get to your specialty classes.”

“Yes Book Note.” The five replied in unison.

Each of them split off to head to their needed destinations, Flurry galloped down the halls of the hive, smiling at each and every ling or pony she passed. Quick and Shade were off to their stealth classes, Rocky was went to earth sculpting, Spade was off to tunnelers and hive construction, and Flurry was off to combat lessons.

Early on Flurry knew she wanted to do anything she could to defend her hive, and her massive magic reserve was more than up to the task. Magic came easy to her, and in large amounts, when she had started learning magic she found restraints had been places on her magic, and while easy to unlock, she was grateful to who or what ever had sealed her magic when she was a foal, especially after carving out that trench one day, but hay new hallway! After that magic and the spell for it came easy, she had mastered every combat spell they had quickly, refining them over the years.

She still worked to improve her spells, but now her training was turned to the philosophy of magic. The art of thinking before acting, strategy, paying an opponent into your hooves. As she approached the armory, she got the sense that something wasn't right. Every pony in the hive had inherited some small amount of changeling magic, growing up and living around so much active changeling magic all the time had such effects, most ponies could sense or taste emotions like all changelings, and Flurry could taste the concern in the room.

“Hard Shell, Iron Shod whats wrong?”

The changeling and Earth Pony respectively turned to Flurry.

“Oh just fretting over armor and weapons, you know things us soldier type are prone to doing.”

Flurry narrowed her eyes. “You're lying.” Perhaps it was her massive amount of magic, but Flurry was more sensitive to emotional taste them other ponies.

“You both taste like sour milk and rancid fish, whats going on?”

They both sighed.

“We keep forgetting you're a walking lie detector,” said Iron Shod with a shake of his head. “Two of our adopters are late, and I don’t mean by a few hours or even a day, they were supposed to be back over three days ago.”

Flurry’s eyes went wide, adopters were changeling who found abandoned foals and brought them to the hive. Having them run late by a day was possible, it had happened rarely, but never three. They would have a newborn foal or young colt and/or filly with them, getting the younger ones back to the hive as soon as possible was a priority, they needed care and protection like any other.

“You… you don’t think it's them, do you?”

‘Them’ was referring to the evil Queen and her hive.

“It's possible, we try to keep our heads down, can’t find us if they don’t know we exist. I’m more concerned with other ponies actually.”

Hard Shell looked at his friend. “Coming from you, that's saying something. What are you thinking?”

“I’ve always been concerned about the adopters getting robbed or worse, two ponies with a new foal, trust me, they make for an easy looking target to the more criminally inclined ponies.”

“And you would know this how?” Flurry asked.

“I was six before I was brought to the hive, I spent two years on the streets in Fillydelphia, lot of stuff you don’t want to see in those back alleys.”

Flurry facehoofed. “I keep forgetting you're older then me.”

“You're just the first, not the oldest. And as your big brother it's my job to protect silly little sisters.”

Flurry scrunched her snout and pouted. “I’m not silly.”

“Then why are you covered in dirt again?”

Flurry just blushed, pouting some more.

The two just laughed.

“Go on, you don’t want to be late again, remember what happens when Arrow gets annoyed.”

Flurry hurried off, deeper into the armory. Inside she found Arrow looking over several books, the hard shelled changeling didn’t seem to notice Flurry enter, or so she thought.

“You’ll need more dirt than that if you're going to ty and blend in with the floor.”

Flurry just sighed. “Sorry I’m late… again.”

“I’ve come to accept that you will never arrive on time, it seems my lessons are no longer important to you.”

Flurry’s wings flared in shock. “What? No! Your lessons are very important, I.. um… I just get distracted easily.”

“Or when you're challenged?”

“That too.”

“Your also very easy to pick on, despite haveing a queens level of emotional sense.”

Flurry looked up, seeing the smirk on the changelings face, she realized she had been had.

Any further conversation between the two was cut off, as a shout went through the hive.

“GUARD PONIES! GUARD PONIES ARE COMING!”

Everyone froze, getting found by the evil Queen was bad, but guard ponies? They had the backing of four alicorns, and most in the hive had seen what Flurry could do, if all four came to bear…

“To stations! We must defend the hive!” Came another shout.

“Flurry, get your armor, do your duty”

Flurry didn’t need to be told twice, flaring her magic she called forth a set of armor from one of the nearby shelves. It was molted changeling chitin like all changeling armor, unlike other changeling armor Flurry had added blue vine pattern along the edges. Rushing out of the armory, Flurry entered into a chaotic yet organized mess of bodies. Everyone in the hive moved with purpose, they all knew what they had to do. Foals and nyimpys were taken to the nursery near the eggs and newborn, guards moved to the main entrance as well as secondary positions.

Flurry was still young, only nineteen, but she would be damned to Tartarus before she would sit on the sidelines. She made it to the main gate of the hive in record time, coming to the first line guard Flurry spotted the changeling she was looking for.

“DAD!”

“Flurry?! What are you doing here? You are not going to be-”

“Yes I am dad! You know very well I’m the best shield caster we have, I’ll block the entrance and hold them back. Keep any counter attacks from slipping through my shield, keep me safe so I can keep you safe, so there.”

“*Sigh* Sometimes I wish you didn’t have your mother's stubbornness or logic, fine we’ll hold in wedge formation. I want three guards on you at all times, no arguments, your shield goes down they get in, end of discussion.”

All of them go into position, Flurry raising her shield behind the main gate, it would be their first line. Tense moments passed, the only thing that could be heard was breathing. Suddenly with a loud bang of thunder, the gate flew off its hinges, smashing into Flurries shield.

Your shield must be like the rock, firm and steadfast, you make even the mightiest of waves part around you, like the rock you must also be patient, the brightest candle burns fasted. Do not spend yourself, let your opponent spend themselves, then you will defeat them.

Flurry remembered one of the Neighpone tombs she studied, she breathed out slowly, letting her shield reflect the impact rather than absorbing it, her shield barely felt a thing. Thank you sensei.

“Changeling hive, you have one minute to surrender. If you do not we will take your hive by force.”

“Come and get us! We do not fear you!”

A royal blue figure stepped through the ruined gate, her main and tail of stars flowing in an ethereal wind.

“Are you sure of that?”

“Even if we were, we protect our own and our young, you shall not pass!”

“Chrysalis is no more, why do so many of you continue to fight?”

The hall was silent for a moment.

“The evil Queen is dead?”

Luna paused, this was the first time she had head this reaction.

“She was slain three years ago, you have not heard?”

“We keep our heads down, staying out of sight, we try to keep to ourselves.”

“And yet you do not, we have captured your agents foalnaping ponies, even little foals, and you claim to not follow Chrysalis.”

A unicorn from the second line steps forward, she is red with a cobalt mane and leafy green eyes.

“If by ‘foalnaping’, you mean finding lost and abandoned foals and taking them in, then yes this hive is foalnaping ponies.”

A second figure stepped up beside Luna, this one also an alicorn but much smaller, her lavender coat standing out in the darkened tunnel.

“What is your name?”

“Crimson Bolt.”

“Can you convince us you're not under changeling mind control?”

“You can scan for influence, I’ll let you inspect me.”

The second Alicorn nodded, stepping up to the shield along with Crimson.

“May I have your name alicorn?”

“Twilight Sparkle, you haven’t heard of me? How long have you been living here?”

“About eighteen years, so most of my life, I’ve been here since I was four. And yes we know about the four ruling alicorns, and there names. There aren't a lot of pictures in the textbooks we have, and it's not like we get the paper delivered here.”

“You have Equestrian textbooks?”

“Yes, all purchased legally, trademarks are wonderful.”

Twilight nodded, as a window opened up in the shield. Drawing up her magic Twilight readied a series of spells, the first one went off scanning Crimson. While the scan went off, another spell activated overlapping the magical signatures. The spell places a beacon behind the shield caster, while she couldn’t see them Twilight followed their magic to sense their location. With a blinding flash of magic, Twilight teleported through the opening in the shield arriving behind the shield caster.

“IT'S A TRICK!”

Twilight spun around, ready to strike down the shield caster, allowing Luna and the guard in to take down the changelings and free the ponies. Her eyes violet eyes locked with sky blue ones, Twilight froze. The pink and blue highlight main, light pink coat, Twilight could only stare in recognition.

“F-flurry Heart?!?”

Twilight was grappled to the ground by four changelings, before ether could respond. Flurry glared daggers at Twilight, her anger plain as day.

“THOU SHALL RUE THIS DAY!!”

The royal canterlot voice shook the entire hive, Flurry winced as her shield was struck with the full force of an enraged alicorn. I can't hold this for long. Putting all her concentration into her shield Flurry became the rock, letting the magic assault wash over she shield as best she could, but even the rock can be worn down. Cracks formed in her shield, becoming more and more numerous by the second.

“Get the others out, she's breaking through!” Flurry called out.

Another burst of magic from Twilight saw the changeling holding her thrown off, she charged a stun spell with the full weight of her magic, letting if off in a wave. Every changeling and pony in the immediate area fell over, out cold. Flurry stumbled, trying to stay awake and maintain her shield, with a final blast of magic Luna shattered her shield, charging forward with her guard. Flurry tried to stand, to fight and defend her home. But another stun spell from Twilight saw her go down, just before the darkness took her Flurry heard Twilight.

“Welcome back.”